Learn about sharing lines

This feature allows an incoming call to appear at multiple locations at the same time. When there’s an incoming call to the shared number, all configured phones ring and you can use any of these devices to answer the call. With shared call appearance enabled, you can also make a call from the shared number using any of the included phones. This arrangement is typically used for executives who have one or more assistants to manage their calls.

The call can be answered on any of the phones sharing the line. The other users can see that a call is in progress.

The executive and assistant service is an alternative to using shared lines, with more sophisticated call handling features.

Can you have more than one call on a shared line?

If all the phones sharing the line are IP phones, like the snom desk phones, you can have multiple calls on the line at any one time. For example, an executive could receive a call at the same time that an assistant is making a call on their behalf. If not all phones are IP phones, for example if you're using a device running the One Net app, then you can only have a single call on a shared line at a time.

Moving a call from one phone to another

A call on a shared line can be moved between phones sharing the line. If it's the only call in progress, it can be moved while it is on hold or active. If the line has more than one call, for example an active call and a held call, then the active call will be moved.

Joining a call on a shared line

Users who are sharing a line can join each other's calls. This can be disabled if required, for example if executives don't want assistants joining their calls. A warning tone can be set up to notify the people already on the call that another user is joining. This can be repeated periodically while the user who joined is on the call.

If a user attempts to join a call on the shared line just after another user puts the call on hold, then the join request is treated as a retrieve request.